Box-fastener.



No. 863,920. PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907.

R. HBLMER & W. F. STUTE, JR.

BOX PASTENBR.

- urmoumn rum) MAR. 23. 1907.

7P 6 amewbow e ROBERT HELMER AND-WILLIAM F. STUTE, JR, OF HECTOR, MINNESOTA.

BOX-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1907.

Application tiled March 23,1907. Serial No. 364,184.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT HELMER and WILLIAM F. STUTE, J12, citizens of the United States, residing at Hector, in the county of Renville and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful improve ments in Box-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object a cheap, simple and effective construction of box fastener or latch applicable for use in connection with beer cases, and other shipping and storing boxes generally, and the invention consists in certain constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result, referonce is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying the improvements of our invention. Fig. 2 is a sec tional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the latch plate. Fig. 4 is a similar view of a latch plate illustrating a modified form thereof.

Corresponding and like parts are refeired to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a box or case and 2 the lid or cover thereof, said lid being hinged at one edge to the box in the present instance.

3 designates the latch of our invention which is secured at one end to the free edge of the lid and to the lower side thereof, and which is bent downward from its attached end and thence bent outwardly to form a tongue 4 having an outwardly facing shoulder 5, the extremity of said latch being bent downwardly and inwardly from the outwardly bent portion, as indicated at 6. The latch may be secured to the lid in any desired manner, and it is preferably composed of spring steel.

The front of the box is provided with an opening '7 for the latch, and with a latch plate 8 which is secured to its outer face and which is formed within its margin with an opening registering with the opening '7. The metal which is struck up from the latch plate 8 to form the opening therethrough, is bent rearwardly and upwardly around the upper side of the opening 7, and lies against the rear face of the front of the box, so as to constitute a wear plate 9 to protect the opening and to be engaged directly by the shoulder 5 of the latch 3. The latch plate 8 is formed on opposite sides of the opening with outstanding apertured cars 10, designed to receive a seal wire 11 after the latch has been snapped into the opening with the juncture of its outwardly and downwardly and inwardly extending portions protruding outwardly therethrough. Preferably the lower side of the opening 7 is beveled as indicated at '7 to conform to the downwardly and inwardly extending end 6 of the latch tongue.

In the practical operation of our improved box fas tener, when the lid is closed, the latch will pass downwardly in the rear of the front of the box and snap out through the opening between the apertured ears 10, thereby securing the box against casual opening.

To seal the box, a seal wire 11 is provided which is inserted through the cars 10 and around the protruding portion of the latch, as clearly illustrated in the drawings. When the box is thus fastened, it is manifest that the latch cannot be retracted from the opening.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying d1; wings, it will be seen that we have provided a box fastener which is composed of practically only two parts that may be cheaply manufactured and easily adapted to the body and lid of the box or case, and which will be durable in construction and efiicient in operation for the desired ends.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A box comprising a body portion.and a lid, a latch secured to the lid, said latch extending downwardly from the lid and thence bent outwardly with its extremity bent inwardly and downwardly, the body of the box being formed with an opening and the latch being adapted to pass downwardly in the box and snap outwardly through said opening. and a latch plate secured to the said body and formed with an opening coinciding with the opening in the body. said latch plate being formed with outstanding apertured ears adapted to register with the protrud ing portion of the latch at the juncture of the outwardly bent portion and downwardly and inwardly bent extremity, whereby a seal may be inserted through said ears and around said protruding portion to secure the latch in the opening.

2. A box comprising a body portion and a lid, the body portion being formed with an opening, a latch secured to the lid and provided with a tongue adapted to pass downwardly within the box and snap out through said opening, and a latch plate secured to the front wall of the body portion at such opening and formed with an opening coinciding with the opening in the body, said latch plate being formed with a wear plate extending inwardly along the upper wall of the opening in the box body and thence upwardly, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aliix our signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT HELMER. '[LLTAM F. S'lUlfE, In.

[1,. s.] It. s.] Witnesses l'xun A. lemon,

G. S. llIClIMILLER. 

